Letters and Words
by tromana
Summary: Working my way through the alphabet, one drabble at a time. Jane/Lisbon
1. And

**A/N:** This will be a collection of 26 Jane/Lisbon drabbles, each one starting with a different letter of the alphabet. This series is for the Paint It Red January 2013 Monthly Challenge. The prompt is 'letters'... so you can see what I've done here. Each drabble will be a true drabble - exactly 100 words long. The discrepancy will come from a/ns. Also, I'm aiming to update this daily. Sorry to followers in advance!

x tromana

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**1.**

"And you know this how?"

The words come out as a demand. Lisbon places a hand on her hip as she waits for Jane to answer her question. Infuriatingly, he merely taps his lip and wanders to another spot in the room. She's used to this; Jane's mind games and tricks. He wants her to work out what he's seeing.

Sometimes, it annoys her; on other occasions, she realizes that it's helping her to become a better cop.

He stares pointedly at the photographs on the wall.

Each one is torn.

"She left her boyfriend?"

He nods and she smiles.


	2. Brave

**A/N:** with thanks to lil smiles for reviewing _And_.

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**2.**

Brave.

That's what they'd called her in the media firestorm that followed Red John's death.

_Brave._

For walking into the lion's den, not even armed with a gun.

For taking him down with no back-up whatsoever.

For risking her very life.

But she wasn't brave. Not really.

All she'd been doing was her job.

She hid behind the badge, and that made her feel slightly braver.

Without it, she was just like any other woman on the street.

And there was one thing that made her feel like a coward.

She couldn't face Patrick Jane since taking away his revenge.


	3. Can't

**A/N:** with thanks to MerriWyllow, Miss Peg, writerofamestris and LetMeWalkTheEarthWithYou for reviewing _Brave_.

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**3.**

_Can't you see there's people who care about you, who need you?_

"Wait," he called to Red John.

And suddenly, he was torn between what he wanted, and what he needed.

Closure or a future with somebody else.

With Lisbon?

_Can't you see there's people…_

He can't have both.

But this was something that had driven him for so long.

It had given him focus and drive.

It had given him the will to live.

_Can't you see…_

But so had she.

In a very different way.

He fired the gun once, twice and a third and final time.

_Can't…_


	4. Deniability

**A/N:** with thanks to Miss Peg and lil smiles for reviewing _Can't_.

x tromana

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**4.**

Deniability.

A long time ago, Jane had told her it was her best friend. It protected her career, herself, everything she held dear.

But as far as Lisbon was concerned, it also meant that she could tell herself little lies.

_I am in control of Jane. I know what I'm doing._

_I can save him from Red John._

_And himself, for that matter._

_Yes, I know what I'm doing._

It was all lies. Of course, she knew that.

But precious deniability stopped her from admitting to the truth.

Just like the fact she was actually in love with Patrick Jane.


	5. Entertain

**A/N:** with thanks to MerriWyllow, aurora151989, Frogster, Lalalupin and Olfactory-Ventriloquism for reviewing _Deniability_.

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**5.**

"Entertain the thought, just for a second. Go on."

"No."

"Oh come on, why not?"

"For one, you're you."

"That's hardly a reasonable argument, Lisbon."

"I think it is."

"Of _course_ you would. We've been friends for years. So why not?"

"It's inappropriate."

"Inappropriate how? As far as I'm concerned, we're just doing our jobs. I think there's a deeper, underlying issue which means you won't do it."

"Jane."

"What?"

"Stop."

"I'll make you coffee for a week."

"You do that anyway."

"I'll behave."

"Sure."

"It's only going undercover as a married couple. I don't see what your problem is!"


	6. Frivolous

**A/N:** with thanks to Lalalupin, MerriWyllow, Guest, LetMeWalkTheEarthWithYou and Olfactory-Ventriloquism for reviewing _Entertain_.

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**6.**

_'Frivolous Patrick Jane.'_

That was what his wife called him on more than one occasion.

And naturally, he was frivolous by name and frivolous by nature.

His wife had insisted they invest the money in property. 'Houses will always be needed,' she had claimed.

But that wasn't enough to stop him from spending the rest of his additional income freely.

His daughter was his favorite person to spoil. She loved receiving specially selected gifts regularly.

For a long while, he was lost without her.

But it was only a matter of time before he found a new person to treat.


	7. Geronimo

**A/N:** with thanks to Olfactory-Ventriloquism, Lalalupin, watchyouwalk and Hayseed Socrates for reviewing _Frivolous_.

x tromana

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**7.**

"Geronimo!"

Lisbon paused for a second and shot Jane a 'really?' glance. She shook her head as she finished reading the Miranda rights to the perpetrator. It was only when they were in the SUV, with the man firmly locked up in the back that she questioned him about it.

"Geronimo, Jane? Really?"

"Yeah. It sounded better in my head."

"I can imagine," Lisbon replied dryly.

"I'm bored of 'aha', 'eureka' and 'bingo'. I really need to find something else to say."

She glanced at him as he rubbed his chin pensively.

"Do you have to say _anything_ at all?"


	8. Happy

**A/N:** with thanks to Lalalupin, Frogster, Olfactory-Ventriloquism, Lothiriel84 and chippotato for reviewing _Geronimo_.

x tromana

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**8.**

Happy.

There was a time when he'd been happy.

When he'd first ran away from the carnival with Angela.

Watching her walk down the aisle, towards him.

Charlotte's birth.

After their deaths, he found it hard to imagine that he could be happy again.

He dedicated his life to the macabre, to mystery, to _murder_.

He couldn't find much cheer in _that._

But then, he grew to appreciate the company he did it in.

Saw the humor between the lines.

And the care and dedication in Teresa Lisbon.

It was then that he decided he could be happy once again.


	9. If

**A/N:** with thanks to Little-Firestar84, Lalalupin, chippotato, Frogster, Leah, Olfactory-Ventriloquism, Hayseed Socrates and Lothiriel84 for reviewing _Happy_.

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**9.**

If his wife hadn't died, would he have still had his family?

…or would his daughter have grown up to resent him, in much the way that she seemed to on occasion?

If she hadn't died, would he have given up on the psychic trade for her?

…or would he have continued with the lies and deceit in order to make a living?

If she hadn't died, would they have been truly happy to this very day?

…or would she have left him for another man, another life?

If his wife hadn't died...

…would he have ever met Teresa Lisbon?


	10. Joker

**A/N:** with thanks to MerriWyllow, TheBonesGirl33, Lalalupin, Lothiriel84, aurora151989 and Olfactory-Ventriloquism for reviewing _If_.

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**10.**

"Joker is still in the pack," Jane informed her seriously as he shuffled the cards in his hands. "It's your job to pull it out."

"Jane," Lisbon replied and it sounded more like a whine. "I've got work to do. This isn't helping."

"It won't take long. Humor me."

Lisbon scowled, but she obliged. He was relieved; Jane knew that she needed the distraction and that was why he had drawn out his deck of cards. Sometimes, with cases, she got a bit between her teeth and couldn't see the bigger picture.

At least she had decided to humor him.


	11. Kill

**A/N:** with thanks to Lalalupin and Guest for reviewing _Joker_.

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**11.**

"Kill me, go on."

Red John was standing, unarmed, in front of him. This was the moment that Patrick Jane had been waiting for years for.

The desperation for closure and the desperation for revenge, it had all been for this.

But things had changed in that time. It was inevitable; nothing ever truly stayed the same.

Even his quest for vengeance had died; only he hadn't realized it yet.

And he'd met someone he really couldn't let down.

The knife clattered at his feet.

He pulled out his cellphone and dialed a familiar number.

She'd been right all along.


	12. Life

**A/N:** with thanks to Lalalupin idonthaveaname, TheBonesGirl33, Olfactory-Ventriloquism, dancingthrough and Lothiriel84 for reviewing _Kill._

idonthaveaname asked why Red John just stood there when Jane dropped the knife in the previous drabble. This is why, and as a consequence, this is companion piece to _Kill_._  
_

x tromana

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**12.**

Life was what you made of it.

Red John knew that some people didn't approve of what he did, but he didn't care. He had his reasons and he was going to take them to the grave.

Imminently, it seemed.

Patrick Jane had him tied and bound. His hands were cuffed together, presumably with a certain Teresa Lisbon's property.

"Kill me, go on," he urged with a glint in his eyes.

Instead, the knife clattered to the ground.

He always knew Jane didn't have the guts for it.

And he should have got to Lisbon when he had the chance.


	13. Methylenedioxyphenylisopropyla mine

**A/N:** with thanks to Hayseed Socrates, Lothiriel84, Lalalupin and MerriWyllow for reviewing _Life._

Thanks to CJDavey for supplying me with the longest M word to start this drabble off with!_  
_

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**13.**

"Methylenedioxyphenylisopropy lamine," Jane stated and Lisbon blinked.

"Say that again?"

"What? Methylenedioxyphenylisopropy lamine?"

"And what is it, exactly?"

"A drug," Jane answered back with a shrug.

"Yeah, I kinda got that from the ridiculously long name, thanks."

She glanced down at the dead body. Deaths involving drugs were tricky. There was a fine line between suicide, accidental overdose and murder. Their job now was to sort through the rest of the evidence to see which it was.

"It's commonly known as MDA, or tenamfetamine. Users call it Sass or Sassafras."

"I knew that. But is this murder, or…?"

"Oh, it's murder alright."

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Note: Jane's first statement is actually meant to be one word. However, every time I go to save it, it splits the chemical name into two words. This drabble can be seen correctly written on AO3.


	14. Never

**A/N:** with thanks to dancingthrough, Olfactory-Ventriloquism and lil smiles for reviewing the previous drabble_._

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**14.**

Never before had he felt so nervous in his life.

It had been years since Patrick Jane had acknowledged his attraction to Teresa Lisbon. However, for a long while, it had been something he'd actively ignored.

But things were different now. Red John had been killed. He'd got the closure he needed, even if he wasn't the one to pull the proverbial trigger.

As he faced Lisbon, the words caught in his throat.

He needed her, but what he wanted changed _everything_.

In the end, he was as surprised as anyone when she placed a tender kiss on his lips.


	15. Over

**A/N:** with thanks to Frogster, MerriWyllow, Lalalupin and Lothiriel84 for reviewing _Never._

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**15.**

Over.

It was actually over.

Red John, her relationship with Patrick Jane.

It was all gone, whisked away from her in the blink of an eye.

They had got the serial killer, but the underhanded methods to _get_ to him had proven to be too much.

There had to be a scapegoat.

_She_ was that scapegoat.

It was inevitable, meant to be.

She had always known that it would end in disaster.

Jane had disappeared the moment that Red John's body hit the floor.

Now, she was alone, unemployed.

She sighed, stood up.

There was a knock at the door…


	16. Please

**A/N:** with thanks to Lothiriel84, Hayseed Socrates, shepweir always, Lalalupin and Olfactory-Ventriloquism for reviewing _Over._

Thanks to shepweir always for the inspiration for this one._  
_

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**16.**

"Please, Teresa. Say something."

"I think you're crazy."

She spoke quietly, but she wasn't angry. However, his question had been very unexpected.

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do."

"Fine, act stubborn."

"Why, Patrick? Why now?"

"Why not?"

Lisbon shook her head and then took a moment to regard him properly. She knew how to read people; she had to for work and to keep up with Jane.

"You really want to marry me?"

"I wouldn't ask if I didn't."

"Fine, okay. Yes."

They hadn't been dating long, but it didn't matter. It was time to throw caution to the wind.


	17. Quiz

**A/N:** with thanks to Olfactory-Ventriloquism, Lalalupin, Water-please, Lothiriel84 and Frogster for reviewing _Please._

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**17.**

Quiz Night at the CBI were words that struck fear in the heart of Teresa Lisbon.

It was Brenda Shettrick's idea; it was a way to promote the CBI and raise funds. All teams were expected to attend, unless they had a major case to investigate at the time.

And worse?

Patrick Jane's attendance was mandatory.

Brenda surmised that Jane was the most famous face the CBI had in their arsenal. He was the one that every civilian wanted to meet (though not through the day job). Thus, he had to be there.

Only problem was controlling his ego there.


	18. Respect

**A/N:** with thanks to shepweir always, Lalalupin, Olfactory-Ventriloquism and Kiryki for reviewing _Quiz._

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**18.**

"Respect is something you earn, not a divine right."

Lisbon strode away to make a point, but she knew that he would follow her anyway. She didn't care, but she did want him to know he was not in control of her behavior. Her anger was simmering, but she tried to mask it.

"I respect you."

"Really? It doesn't look like it from where I'm standing."

"I do."

"Oh yes, and what about all the times you've deceived me, tricked me, and put my career at risk? That's not respect, Jane."

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"You are? Then prove it."


	19. Some

**A/N:**With thanks to: Lothiriel84, Water-please, Guest, Olfactory-Ventriloquism, shepweir-always, Frogster and Lalalupin for reviewing _Respect_.

Sorry for the delay. I had two big asthma attacks yesterday (and another this morning) and wasn't really in any fit state to write.

x tromana

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**19.**

Some people believed that traveling with Jane in a car was a nightmare for Lisbon.

That he'd fiddle mercilessly with the radio.

That he wouldn't be able to decide whether or not he wanted the windows open.

That he would pick fights on random subjects just to entertain himself.

If people traveled with them, it drove them insane, because that's what they saw.

It wasn't true.

Lisbon actually enjoyed it.

The music was never boring.

The temperature was always regulated, one way or another.

Conversation subjects never grew stale.

And they rarely had to share each other with anybody else.


	20. This

**A/N:**With thanks to: Little-Firestar84, Lothiriel84, Lalalupin, Water-please, and Olfactory-Ventriloquism for reviewing _Some_.

x tromana

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**20.**

"This is Patrick Jane, my consultant."

Jane smiled as Lisbon pointed him out, but his audience looked less than impressed. But then, they were teenagers. They were always the hardest to get any emotion out of. All thinly veiled skepticism and disdain. Some, he thought, would never grow out of that and he glanced at Lisbon.

But that was irrelevant. For now, he had a job to do.

And that job was to get anything and everything these kids knew about the victim in the easiest way possible.

He clapped his hands together.

"Right. Here's what we're going to do…"


	21. Under

**A/N:**With thanks to: Lothiriel84, Olfactory-Ventriloquism, Lalalupin and MerriWyllow for reviewing _This_.

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**21.**

Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have been worried.

Under normal circumstances, he knew that she was just going undercover.

That she was fully trained for this sort of operation.

That she knew what she was doing.

That she would contact him when appropriate.

That she would be fine.

But under normal circumstances, she wouldn't have been doing anything near as risky as this.

She would have followed the rulebook.

She would have found an alternative means to find evidence and make an arrest.

But she couldn't, because there were no other options available to them.

Because this was Red John.


	22. Vengeance

**A/N:**With thanks to: Lothiriel84, Water-please, Lalalupin, vanrigsby, Olfactory-Ventriloquism, MerriWyllow and Frogster for reviewing _Under_.

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**22.**

"Vengeance will be mine," Jane says to her and Lisbon looks stunned.

He's been with her team for four months now, and it's taken that time for him to come out of his shell.

During that time, he's spent a lot of time in close quarters with her, watching her every move, seeing how she operates. If he hadn't looked so broken, she would have found it a little creepy.

The subjects they talk about have gotten a little freer recently.

This is the first time they've talked about Red John.

And she realizes that _this_ may be a problem.


	23. What

**A/N:**With thanks to: MerriWyllow, Lalalupin, Lothiriel84, SteeleSimz and Olfactory-Ventriloquism for reviewing _Vengeance_.

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**23.**

"What time do you call this?"

Lisbon is late the office, and Jane isn't going to let her get away with it that easily. If something changes, he is always the first to know. Being _Jane_, he has to know more.

She glances towards the bullpen before she looks at him. "I'm not late. It's a perfectly acceptable time to arrive."

Of course, she's right. But it's late for her and that's the issue.

"You're up to something, Agent Lisbon."

She rolls her eyes and stalks away.

She's easy to read but this is going to take some more digging.


	24. X-rays

**A/N:**With thanks to: Lothiriel84, Water-please, MerriWyllow, Lalalupin and Olfactory-Ventriloquism for reviewing _What_.

**Spoilers for 5x08 Red Sails in the Sunset for this one. Proceed at your own risk.**

x tromana

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**24.**

X-rays, MRIs, CAT scans, doctors, doctors and more doctors.

_It's all a necessary evil,_ she promises. _We need to check that you're okay._

He doesn't believe her. Jane had known what he was doing; the accident was necessary to get Lorelei to trust him. To make sure she talks about Red John.

The endless testing is enough to make him wish he'd reconsidered his options.

It's also enough to send Lisbon's concern into overdrive.

When he's told he has whiplash and needs to wear a neck brace, she looks vindicated.

He merely wishes he could explain _why_ he'd done it.


	25. You

**A/N:**With thanks to: MerriWyllow, Lalalupin and Guest for reviewing _X-rays_.

x tromana

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**25.**

"You think that he's in love with her?"

Van Pelt overhears the whispers of the gossiping receptionists as she walks past them. She doesn't need to be told who they are talking about; it's always the same two people: the boss and Jane.

For some reason, everyone's convinced they've been hiding their illicit affair for years now.

She, Rigsby and Cho always rise above it. After all, that's what Lisbon does too.

But she cannot help but feel offended for them.

What does it matter _if_ Jane and Lisbon are in love?

If anything, she thinks it'd be quite sweet.


	26. Zulu

**A/N: **With thanks to: Lothiriel84 (as 'Guest'), Olfactory-Ventriloquism and Lalalupin for reviewing _You_.

Now this drabble brings this collection to a close. However, as I've enjoyed this drabble a day (well, almost) project, I've decided I'm going to continue. However, I'll start it under a new collection entitled 'Word Play' from tomorrow. And here's another catch - I'll want your help suggesting prompts and/or starting words for each drabble, just to keep it a challenge for me. Anyone who supplies a prompt will be credited if I use it! Please feel free to take the reviews for this drabble as an opportunity to prompt... and I'll see you tomorrow with _Word Play_.

But one last thing: thank you to everyone who has read/reviewed/favourited Letters and Words. I honestly cannot believe the support that you've offered me. I'm so grateful.

x tromana

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**26.**

"…Zulu, Two, Three, Zero. Got that? Thanks."

She clicked off her cellphone and Jane was staring at her quizzically. That wasn't especially a new thing, but she had needed to get that BOLO out before worrying about anything else.

"Yes, Jane?"

"Why do you always use the phonetic alphabet for things like that? Not everyone knows it."

"They do in this job," she answered, amused.

"So? It could cause lines of miscommunication."

"But so could using the regular alphabet; people can miss letters, or misunderstand."

"Still…"

"Really, Jane. For someone so clever, you have very odd lapses in your knowledge."


End file.
